The attacks are divided into two groups: primary and secondary. At any one time there will be up to four attacks available: the strongest primary punch/kick the player character meets the requirements for (a plain punch/kick if none), and the strongest secondary punch/kick they qualify for, if any. The secondary attacks have a higher AP cost but cause more devastating effects.

Equipping an unarmed-type weapon (such as brass knuckles for example) will override these skill attacks. This means that with high enough Unarmed skill one will actually lose damage by equipping them.

For example, base melee damage ("Punch") is 1-3 damage. With Unarmed of 55%, that becomes "Strong Punch" which adds 3 damage, for a total of 4-7. Meanwhile, brass knuckles have a damage range of only 2-5 - so one is better off without them.

To summarize, spiked knuckles become obsolete when the "Hammer Punch" is obtained and brass knuckles are useless altogether, unless for some reason the player character has less than 6 Agility and doesn't meet the requirement and/or Lucas's training.

Finally, in 1.02d (which is the most up-to-date official patch) the jab secondary attack is strictly superior to strong punch, dealing the same damage at the same AP cost but having extra 10% crit chance.

Both Lo Pan and Dragon can raise the Unarmed skill. The increase is in four training sessions 5% each, but no more than 100%.

In total, Unarmed can be increased to over 100% without ever putting any skill points into it.

Lucas in Arroyo will increase Unarmed to 55% unless the player character tanked their Agility. After that one gets 10% from Sullivan, 5% from Prizefighter and two out of three 5% punching bag bonuses (New Reno, Sierra Army Depot) for a total of 80%. At this point take the four day training from either Dragon or Lo Pan to reach 100%, and finally use the last punching bag in Lo Pan's Dojo.

On the other hand, if one did tag Unarmed, they will be able to get it from 100% to 130% (at which point one gets all the special attacks listed above) for free: Sullivan +10%, Punching Bags +15%, Prizefighter +5%.

After that one can push it even further by increasing their stats: +5 for Strength (Brotherhood of Steel surgery +1 and advanced power armor +4) and +1 Agility (Gain perk).

In Fallout 3, the Unarmed skill is tied to the EnduranceSPECIAL stat. The player character will receive a boost of +2 points in Unarmed per level of Endurance, for a maximum boost of +20 points at 10 Endurance. Luck further raises Unarmed effectiveness by +1 point per every 2 levels (+5 Unarmed at 9-10 Luck).

The AP cost (Action Points, used in V.A.T.S.) when completely unarmed is 22.

In Fallout 3, it is not possible to target individual body parts in V.A.T.S. while using unarmed or melee weapons. Targeting with the crosshair outside of V.A.T.S enables one to select body locations in an attempt to cripple and/or disarm. It is possible to knock-out an opponent even with non-critical head strikes; this should not be confused with the effects of the Paralyzing Palm perk, as it can be done without the perk, it can be done outside of V.A.T.S. and with any unarmed weapon, though the chances are greatly improved with bare hand attacks.

As in Fallout 3, the Unarmed skill is tied to the EnduranceSPECIAL stat. The player character will receive a boost of +2 points in Unarmed per level of Endurance, for a maximum boost of +20 points at 10 Endurance. Luck further raises Unarmed effectiveness by +1 points per every 2 levels (+5 Unarmed at 9 Luck). Just as in Fallout 3, unarmed damage is unaffected by Strength; the only change is that unarmed weapons now have a Strength requirement in order to use them at maximum efficiency. However, aside from the ballistic fist, the Strength requirements are generally very low.

The AP cost (Action Points, used in V.A.T.S.) when completely unarmed is 22.

Fallout: New Vegas possesses a multitude of new, more powerful unarmed and melee-specific perks, game mechanic bonuses (i.e. special attacks in V.A.T.S. at higher levels of skills; specifically, an Uppercut at 50 and a cross attack at 75).

Unarmed weapons in Fallout: New Vegas can utilize up to three special attacks in V.A.T.S., each at the cost of 20 Action Points, depending on the character's Unarmedskill. At an unarmed skill of at least 50 Stomp and Uppercut special attacks become available. Stomp, an attack dealing double damage, where the target receives a swift downward kick, that can only be used on enemies after they have been knocked down. Uppercut is an upward punch that deals an additional 15% damage. At an unarmed skill of at least 75, Cross is a punch thrown across the body that deals 10% greater damage, with an additional 250% damage to limbs.

Unlike other special unarmed moves that must be learned before use, these special attacks require only an investment in skill points to unlock. Since the special attacks require the same AP regardless of the weapon used, higher damage but slower weapons benefit more from V.A.T.S. than faster weapons.